Mayor Mamdani: Good morning, everyone. It is always a pleasure to be back in Queens, and Jackson Heights, especially. Yes, shout out to Queens, especially when you arrive via the toddler rope, which I cannot say I've ever done before. I want to acknowledge our governor, Kathy Hochul, who's here and has been a partner in so much of this. I want to acknowledge also our chancellor, Kamar Samuels, who's with us. It is a pleasure to be here alongside the early childhood chair in the City Council, Councilwoman Jen Gutiérrez, who's here with us; [and] our local Council member, Council Member Shekar Krishnan. And I also want to thank Principal Christopher Herman of the Garden School. It is a real pleasure to be here. Thank you so much for having us. You know, here in Jackson Heights, it takes a minute or two to walk one block as the crow flies. However, when you are walking on the toddler rope, it can take five minutes per block, maybe more. And because someone needs to stop and inspect 14 rocks, someone wants to touch every fire hydrant, someone won't walk further until they've seen a yellow taxi, and someone needs to debate whether or not the clouds actually look like dinosaurs. And the spoiler alert is yes, that they, in fact, do.
But in all seriousness, when you are a parent trying to drop your child off at daycare, adding to your commute twice a day is a very long time. While universal Pre-K and 3-K will deliver major relief to parents, we know that our work has only just begun. For years, the demand for seats has exceeded the supply. As a result, working parents have frequently had to choose between traveling a significant distance for free childcare or spending more than $20,000 per child per year to stay closer to home. Universal childcare should mean meeting parents where they are no matter where they live. And it is such a pleasure to be here alongside so many leaders in this fight, because just yesterday our administration announced that we are adding 2,000 new 3-K seats across 57 new ZIP codes citywide. This is double the number of our previous 3-K expansion plan. And it's why today I'm proud to announce that we have extended 99,921 3-K and Pre-K offers to families across the five boroughs this year. I'm especially proud of the fact that we have extended offers that meet New York's families where they are. Seventy percent of families received an offer from their top 3-K choice, which is a 5 percent increase from last year. Eighty-five percent of families received an offer from one of their top three choices, another five percent increase from last year.
And we've also reduced the average distance between a family's home and their childcare center by a third of a mile, also known as somewhere between 30 minutes and an hour, or the time it takes a toddler to walk six blocks. That's the time that now parents will be able to have to get a cup of coffee or make it to work on time. Time to cook dinner in the evenings a little earlier, spend a little bit more time together before bedtime. Time that will frankly add a little more dignity and lift a little bit more anxiety from the lives of working parents. After all, as Wiz Khalifa once said: “Time is money, so I went and bought a Rolex.” Now, unfortunately, City Hall will not be buying parents Rolexes. We are just coming out of our budget deficit. But we do agree that time is time, and New Yorkers deserve a lot more of it. And I want to thank our governor who's here with us today, because so much of this has been made possible thanks to the governor's commitment of $1.2 billion, investing not only in the first time in New York City history for free childcare for two-year-olds, but also increasing the quality of childcare that we were already delivering across the city, and that is such a key part of what we're celebrating here today.
Because we want these improvements to serve as examples — examples that [show] our efforts to rebuild New York City's childcare system are working. Examples that [show] we can make it easier to raise a child in the city you love without being forced out by rising costs and rising stress. And examples that when government understands its purpose as serving the working people who power our city, it can deliver change that working people can truly feel. Because what we are seeing today is that even for families who are placed in a program outside of their preferred options, we have, thanks to this infusion of support from the governor. Been able to cut the average distance they have to travel by nearly a mile on average. That is saving them time, saving them stress. And we're going to continue working every single day to build a better city for New Yorkers, to build a city where people have the time to live the lives they deserve and to raise the families that they love. Thank you so much for being here today to celebrate this momentous day in our city's history. And I want to pass it over now to someone who really made this possible. Thank you, Governor Kathy Hochul.
Governor Kathy Hochul: Starting off the day with three-year-olds is my idea of a good day. As a grandmother of a three- year-old. I want to thank the mayor for the invitation to join him for this very significant announcement. And people should not underestimate what this means. It is a sign of the fruition of a real commitment to partner together to deliver something that New Yorkers have dreamed about — talked about — but never had up until now. So, thank you for helping us work together to make New York City [and] New York state the best place in America to raise a family. And I'm committed to that. I want to thank our Council members here, our principal, our chancellor once again, and all of our teams.
But, you know, you think about what it takes to be a parent in this city, [and] it is hard. It is hard. I just came out of my apartment building in Midtown and spent half the time talking to five-month-old Molly in a stroller, realizing that her dad probably had a very small place because all of our places are small. And raising a child there and the expenses and the stress and the worry that parents have just walking into our streets. You know, it takes a special kind of person who says: “I want to have my child raised in this vibrant, incredible place.” But also, it's so darn expensive. And when you think about the fact that it's anywhere from $20,000 to $40,000 a year for childcare, if you had to cover that from birth up until kindergarten, a lot of people are starting to rethink whether or not they're even going to have families. And that to me is tragic, tragic, that you have to factor that in, that they can't afford a house or a place to live or they can’t afford — maybe they have one child they're not going to be able to afford a second education for later. But childcare should not be on that list of worries. And that's what we're committed to, taking that off the list and saying we're committed to you and your families.
And I'll say this: not only is it important for the family, just like my family years and years ago, when we had our children and I was working in Washington for a senator, I love that job. And I never dreamed I'd have to say goodbye to it because we couldn't find affordable childcare, but that's exactly what happened. So, I landed okay. I'm doing fine after having to give up a job I love, so don't worry about me. But at the time, there was so much uncertainty. You're having to go from two incomes to one. My husband working for the government, we struggled. You know, I knew all about the coupons, and buying the Pampers and the jars of baby food and all those extra costs that are there when they're little. So, I want to say this as a governor: I believe that what we can do to make New York a better place for families [can] also make us more competitive nationally. Think about this: we are the number one destination in America for college graduates, but then something happens, they start a family. It's like: “Ah, I wanna stay, but I h e to move out.” We do not want that to happen. We want people who wanna be here to be able to afford to stay here. And so, taking off that cost is gonna be a help for them as a family. But also, think of the businesses.
If you're trying to recruit the best talent from across the country, and people are evaluating where they can go — the cost of living of different cities — and they know that coming to New York City, they don't have to worry about the cost of childcare when we fully implement our vision for universal childcare across New York City and the state. We are now in a very competitive position to recruit individuals who otherwise might have said, “No, I can't afford to live in New York.” This is the beauty of what we're doing here. And I’m so excited about it. So, the families who are doing everything they're asked to do, getting education or getting a job and building careers, building families, they're doing everything right. We as a government have a responsibility to help lift them up at this moment. So, I will not go on about being New York's first mom governor. Everyone has heard me say that a thousand times.
[Crosstalk.]
Thank you. New York’s first mom governor. New Yorks first grandma governor. But it gives you a perspective — it truly does — of what those struggles were like for me. And I've cultivated this really strong sense of empathy for all the other families. A belief in them and knowing that they will get through these days, but we are there to help them. So, I want to say this. The budget I laid out in January helped become a culmination of a vision that I launched years ago, at first as lieutenant governor chairing the statewide commission on childcare but also as governor. Over the last four years, we have spent $8 billion, $8 billion from our budget to help families directly with subsidies. At one time you had to be making $57,000 or less in order to get a childcare subsidy. It is now over $108,000. Look how many more families and children we could pick up with those changes and recovering that cost. Building more, bricks and mortar, helping subsidize renovation [of] people's homes. Building the capacity to do what we're doing here today is to expand outward.
So, I made these changes and I'll tell you, it makes a huge difference when you have a partner who shares that vision, who will say, yes, what can we do to get this done? So, I was so excited to put in support for $1.2 billion in our budget to help the city out with their funding for $100 million extra to help solve the three-year-old program, which we talked about — we talked about that last summer. About how we have the right sizes, get people able to have seats in their own neighborhood and not expect them to go across the city to get a slot. So, we're solving for that and I commend you and your team for accomplishing that.
We also want to make sure that statewide, we have universal 4K, which we do not have everywhere, and making sure that we have programs to cover infants up through third grade as well, so up to three-year-olds as well. So, we're supportive, we're here with the money, but we're just getting started. But this is a message loud and clear for families across the country. We're gonna get this done. We're not backing out. And I'm here to commit state resources, my commitment this year and beyond, to support the city, what you're doing, as well as the rest of the state, because there is no place like New York. We just want the rest the world to know it. Thank you very much.
[Crosstalk.]
Mayor Mamdani: And now it's my pleasure to introduce the man who coined the phrase “New York's Cutest,” our chancellor, Kamar Samuels.
Chancellor Kamar H. Samuels, New York City Public Schools: Well, thank you for giving me credit there, I appreciate that. Thank you, governor. Thank you again to Mayor Mamdani, Emmy Liss, and for their hard work and collaboration in making this possible. Thank you also to Council Member Krishnan and Council Member Gutiérrez for your support and advocacy, which is really, really important. I'm excited to be here as we announced nearly 100,000 offers to families for 3-K and Pre-K for the upcoming school year. That's nearly a hundred thousand young people who will walk through our doors to a free, high-quality early childhood program. Many of them for the very first time. This year we were able to give more families their top choices, which means their children will be in the neighborhood they know with people that they love.
And as a superintendent, I worked across two districts. I worked in Brooklyn and Manhattan. And the number one reason I shifted to move to Manhattan was to be closer to home and have a much better commute. And so, speaking of closer, every child, every seat that we added in high demand neighborhoods has a shorter commute for families. This is real time, back in the hands of families every single morning. And as dad with three kids, I know what mornings can look like. And I'm telling you, we want a less stressful situation for all of our families. Options that make sense and showing them that our system is working for them. We are just getting started. We can't wait to welcome all of — yes, New York's cutest — next year, showing them especially the new ones, but also absolutely the returning ones. Thank you so much for everything you all do, I am excited to get to work.
Mayor Mamdani: Thank you so much, chancellor. And now please join me in welcoming Council Member Jen Gutiérrez.
Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Good to see everyone. Good to come back home to Queens. I was raised not too far from here, yes. And I also represent Queens, okay? But I just want to echo what so many of the folks here today have said, just how important, how valuable it is to have an administration who is backing up their promises, their commitments by putting in dollars to enhance communities ZIP code by ZIP code. As someone who was pregnant when I ran, I thought surely the village will come and help me raise this child. And the village was sparse. But today in 2026, your village is your mayor, is your City Council, is your governor for the first time ever.
And that is going to be transformative for our young people, for our communities. I don't know a single parent who has enrolled their child in a quality 3-K education program and was disappointed or regretted it. The results are there. We know how powerful it is for these young people when they get to join their siblings at a big school or when they get join the rest of the kids and they get have a curriculum and socialize. The value is undeniable and it is such a pleasure and such a privilege to be able to be a part of government when we have phenomenal leaders who are unwavering on their commitment to getting us to universal childcare and expand these seats. The expansion of 3-K and Pre-K not only is reforming issues of the past but is setting us on a new path to be real examples for the rest of the nation. So, thank you for letting me be here today. I'm so excited.
I also just wanna quickly recognize we have our awesome parent advocates in New Yorkers United for Childcare. The advocate community for early childcare education has been in the trenches for decades. And to see them — what I hope is for them to see these results and be proud of the work that they did and hopefully will continue to do. So, thank you once again to our awesome, awesome mayor and to the principal of this school and to our great partners at City Council and all of you, the advocates. Thank you so much.
Mayor Mamdani: Thank you so much to our Council member, not only for the kindness of her words, but the nature of her leadership and having been such a leader in the fight for universal childcare. It's such a joy now to have you here as we actually deliver on this together. It is now a great pleasure to introduce the Council member of this area district, Council Member Shekar Krishnan.
Council Member Shekar Krishnan: Good morning, everyone. Buenos días. As the parent of two young children who benefited from our city's 3-K and pre-K programs, just a couple blocks away from here, I am thrilled to stand with Mayor Mamdani and Governor Hochul, celebrating the mayor's addition of 75 new 3-K seats right here in Jackson Heights. Let's give it up for them.
And Mr. Mayor, we know all boroughs are equal, but we know Queens is your fave, so welcome back to Jackson Heights. I am also thankful to be here at the Garden School with Principal Chris Herman and all of our neighbors and parents who make this school such a special place. The Garden School is one of the incredible schools in our community, and so many of the parents who bring their kids here for 3-K use Paseo Park, the 26 blocks of open street right outside, as a hub for a safe and walkable pickup and drop off at 3-K every day.
And for me, every morning, when I drop off my kids at school — the morning hustle, as we know, the chaos, right Chancellor? We're going to talk opening the doors, keeping the doors open longer at school so I get them on time — but I see so many parents, children and educators on their way going through the same struggle too. And I hear every day from parents how they are struggling with the cost of groceries, rent and raising a family right here in New York City.
Childcare is one of the biggest expenses that young families face, and I know it well. A parent already has to worry about so much while raising a family. Ensuring their kids are healthy, happy and safe. It's the foremost concern on our minds, no matter what else happens in our day. But worrying about the cost of childcare? That shouldn't be a concern on that list. And Mayor Mamdani and Governor Hochul understand that deeply. And with budget investments like this one, the mayor has shown that he will invest in our city's future, not in our fears. Because fundamentally, childcare is the foundation for a more affordable New York.
Early childhood education can and should be a powerful economic engine for our city. And honestly, it's the difference between a parent taking a job and not taking one. It's the difference between a workforce that values women and mothers, especially. Because we know the burden of not having childcare exacerbates gender inequality in our society. Early childhood education is essential to ensuring the next generation of children can say proudly that they were born and raised New Yorkers, cared for by the very city they're growing up in.
With Mayor Mamdani and Governor Hochul championing universal childcare, we finally have a New York that prioritizes working families. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I'm proud to be here today celebrating this win for our community. And I'm looking forward to our continued work together to make New York City more affordable for everyone, for our families and, yes, especially our littlest ones. Thank you all so much.
Question: [Inaudible.]
Mayor Mamdani: We saw the percentage of families that received approvals for programs that were not listed on their app decrease this year. Last year it was 15 percent, it went down to 12 percent as part of these investments, and for those that were still part of that 12 percent, they saw the average distance decrease by about 17 blocks. And we know that this is critical because as we've heard from both the Council members, it's not just the importance of this as a program, it's also the ability to actually access this program. We've heard families before who've said, “I live in Bed-Stuy and I'm getting an offer for a center in Astoria. That doesn't mean much to me.” And now we're actually starting to be able to deliver things that are closer to home so more people can actually use it.
Question: Do you have a message to those families who didn’t get a spot off their application this year?
Mayor Mamdani: That they're still at the heart of our focus. And that's why we also wanted to make sure that for those who didn't get that top spot, that the average distance would still decrease even for those families as well.
[Crosstalk.]
Question: The demand for pre-K and 3-K looks like it stayed relatively flat. About 50 percent of parents actually applied for the pre-K program, and 60 percent for the 3-K. What does that say about the outreach you’ve been doing? I know there was a big push to get more families to apply; do you feel that that was a success despite only 50 percent of parents actually applying for seats? And secondly, I don't know if the chancellor is here, but if he is still here: Are you considering a moratorium on the AI in schools guidance?
Mayor Mamdani: So, I'll let the chancellor answer that question, but on the first question, what I will say is that we will always take every opportunity to speak directly to New Yorkers about the services that the city provides them and the fact that these are their programs. Because what we found is that we inherited not just a bare bones outreach team as it pertained to childcare. Despite the incredible efforts of the city council, we saw that there was sustained disinvestment in the outreach around universal childcare, especially as it pertained to 3-K and pre-K.
What we've also seen is decreased immigration into our city, increased fear and suspicion of enrolling and using city services, especially from immigrant communities. We know that very clearly right here in Jackson Heights. And then also years of confusion over what was actually available. And so, in inheriting all of that, we knew we had to invest in a sustained outreach this year and have it also be part of multi-year outreach so that we can start to win the trust back of those families. Because frankly, the announcements that we've made today of how much closer these centers will be, how many more families will have their top choice or their top three choices, that's how you start to wind people back to being a part of the system. Because we know for so many parents, it's not going to be the ad that you see on a LinkNYC kiosk or in the back of a taxicab. It's going to be a comment you see from a parent on a Facebook group, that [says], “Actually, this year, I got that program” [or] “This year I didn't, and it was still closer than last year.” That's how we're going to start to win people in the years to come.
Question: I just want to know; is there an upper limit for how far you want these placements to be? I mean, we're just getting lower and lower. Do you want to see this lower than a certain number, below a mile, something like that, for the furthest that a child might be matched to a Pre-K or 3-K? And then I just also wanted to ask about some of the centers you've been opening that didn’t exist under the prior administration to the one up there in front. Can you explain what the holdup was for those, in your understanding, [inaudible]?
Mayor Mamdani: I have to be honest; there isn't a great answer for the holdup of a lot of these centers. We are talking about childcare centers that were sitting dormant sometimes for years, and New Yorkers would walk past them and ask themselves, how can I believe in this program if this center right here is gathering dust after we've spent millions of dollars in bringing it up to code? And I will say that for us, we are asking ourselves, how we can deliver more for New Yorkers? How can we deliver more for parents? Because we don't want to rest on our laurels. We don't want to say, “This is as good as this program will ever be.” It's always an opportunity to do more. Emmy, I don't know if you'd like to add anything to that.
Emmy Liss, Executive Director, Office of Childcare: I think we look at every community and the dynamics there, what travel patterns might look like for families, and we'll look to the applications and ultimately the enrollments to tell us. You know, today we're announcing that the average distance, as the mayor said, is significantly reduced, but it's also going to get better even for many of those families who got manual placements today. The more than 2,000 3-K seats we announced yesterday includes about 700 seats that were added after the application period closed. Families can now add themselves to waitlists at myschools.nyc, and we expect to see many families ultimately enroll in programs that are even closer to home than the ones they received offers to today.
[Crosstalk.]
Question: On the weather, you learned in real time when the cold weather hit that the city's infrastructure and planning to deal with that maybe wasn't up to snub in a modern way. Are you beginning to learn similar lessons as we pick up some heat this summer? And then also on the Knicks, ticket prices [are] expensive, we've talked about this before. Are you going to grab a last-minute ticket and go yourself to this incredible run that's been happening?
Mayor Mamdani: You know, it is an incredible run. I am like every New Yorker, just continuing to hope maybe I will be there. We'll see. But I'm definitely watching. I even managed to catch a glimpse of Wemby hitting it from the logo yesterday, which was quite something. But we are, we are praying for a rerun of the 1999. When it comes to heat, I will say that, you know, today we are entering into 90-degree weather. And as a result of that yesterday, we took the action of activating the City's Heat Emergency Plan and what that means is that we're going to have city workers out across the five boroughs and they're going be welcoming New Yorkers into cooling centers and also helping our neighbors stay safe in extreme heat.
We know that when you have this level of heat it can also be exacerbated and amplified in certain parts of the city due to the built environment and so we are urging every New Yorker to not only plan ahead, to not only stay hydrated, but also, to check in on loved ones and to take this heat seriously [and] the city is doing exactly that.
Question: Have you made any changes [inaudible]? I know took it happening, and then you made changes after with the winter. But have you seen anything as you gear up to deal with the heat? [Did] you say, “That doesn't look quite right, I need to get to work on that.”
Mayor Mamdani: We're interrogating that every day. Thus far, what we're seeing, though, is the utilization of all the tools we have in us.
Question: [Inaudible.]
Mayor Mamdani: It's not. Those three individuals should not have received press passes. My administration is reviewing the entire process and the standards for press credentialing. The guidelines fall underneath the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment. We will initiate our own process to review these. And what I will say is there is a good nature debate to be had about where a press pass should extend and where it shouldn't. However, the three people that we are talking about don't fall within that debate.
Question: Who does fall into [inaudible]?
Mayor Mamdani: I think one of the most important things is that I, as the mayor, should not be deciding who is considered a journalist worthy of a pass and who is not. However, what we should have is a process that people can trust, because as you said, the nature of news, how it is reported, how [it] is consumed, has changed. The city has to keep up with that. We have to ensure that if a New Yorker is getting their news in this manner, we also treat that legitimately.
However, we're talking about with regards to the three press passes that were reported on yesterday; that's not within that debate. What we need to do is put forward a process that is one where people can look at it and say, “This is actually acknowledging the different ways in which to report.” That's what we're reviewing right now, is how to put that together.
Question: [Inaudible.]
Mayor Mamdani: You know, at this point it's still within the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment. That's where we're going to conduct that review to make sure we actually put together that process. And it's one that is actually reckoning with all of these different changing dynamics of the newsroom environment.
Question: [Inaudible.]
Mayor Mamdani: We're going make sure that it's actually a much fairer one.
Question: [Inaudible.]
Mayor Mamdani: I've made very clear that when organized labor and community organizations across the city raise concerns around the constitutionality of this legislation, as well as the impact it would have on so much of what is at the core part of how organizing takes place, especially given its incredibly broad definition of educational institutions that encompasses libraries, museums, hospitals, not just institutions of higher education, that it's important to hear those concerns and act accordingly. That's why I did veto the legislation because of those concerns.
I made that clear time and again, and I continue to stand by them. And I know that we had a number of Council members who voted in opposition to that legislation, and a lot of them were doing so also in accordance to those same concerns.
Question: [Inaudible.]
Mayor Mamdani: The conversations that I'm having are usually on issues around the neighborhood, I will say, but I've made my feelings very clear.
Question: [Inaudible] revoking press passes of those three women who were outside [inaudible] and separately, yesterday you said that, for the LIRR strike, [it] was a fair deal for everyone. Do you feel like that it came out to the fair deal?
Mayor Mamdani: It looks like it. I think, obviously, this still has to be ratified by unions, but given the way in which it's being responded to, I think that many New Yorkers are overjoyed at the fact that we're going to see a resumption of service in about 46, 47 minutes, and that that is something that is important for the workers who keep our commuter rail running, and also for the New Yorker who rely on that commuter rails. And then on your question, you know, I don't think that those three should have been accorded those press passes, and now as part of the review, we're gonna look into what the immediate next steps are.
Question: Mr. Mayor, what do you make of the railroad workers, some of them making $300,000, [which is] more than you do?
[Crosstalk.]
What do make of work rules where someone has paid three times a day's wage for switching trains for the same trip? Do you think that's fair or do you think it's unfair, or do you not [inaudible]?
Mayor Mamdani: Yeah, I think the most important thing is that when you're looking at these kinds of contracts, there's acknowledgement of the kind of work that is being done to ensure this computer rail system is continuing to operate, and also the importance that it plays in the lives of so many New Yorkers. Those who live in New York City, those who are also commuting in New York City. I also don't think of my own salary as a barometer. What I would say, though, is that we see it's incredibly difficult for New Yorkers over these past few days to negotiate their day-to-day needs. Now, at 12 p.m., they're going to see it gets that easier.
Question: What about the workday rule? Where someone gets three days’ of pay for one day of work?
Mayor Mamdani: I'm not as familiar with the specific work rules with that, but I do appreciate the question.
Question: [Inaudible.]
Mayor Mamdani: I am confident that our city is going to be able to meet the demand and meet the needs of working families across the city. And we, in our executive budget, we put forward $40 million in increased investments for rates for childcare providers. And that is a reflection of the fact that they are at the heart of ensuring it is even possible to dream of such a transformative system. They have been doing the work across the city. They've been seeing so much of the cost rise. And this is a down payment to that end. Thank you all so much.
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